Patent GB-425725-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to spacing devices for typewriting and like machines
IPC: B41J19/64
Filed: 1934-04-30
Abstract: 425,725. Typewriters. PLATT IRON WORKS, Inc., 435, Keowee Street, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.-(Assignees of Wells, E. C.) April 30, 1934, No. 12982. Convention date, May 3, 1933, [Class 100 (iv)] Letter-spacing mechanism.-Mechanism for use in typing justified lines comprises adjustable character-spacing means adapted to be controlled by moving a member into registration with the end of an unjustified line of a copy on a copy-carrier to adjust the spacing by an amount which will space the characters of that line to justified line length. A carriage 12, Fig. 1, is mounted to move on a frame 114 and is connected to the typewriter carriage by a finger 116 which lies between two clips 118 on the tabulating-rack 117. The spacing mechanism of the typewriter is disabled by a latch 111, and the universal bar 107 is joined by a link 105 to a lever 104, Fig. 5, which operates the escapement rocker 37, Fig. 8, of the justifier. The rocker 37 carries pivoted and fixed dogs 42, 46 so that during a rocking movement an escapement wheel 40 is released by the dog 42, arrested by the dog 46, and finally rests again against the dog 42. The wheel 40 is connected by a pawl 49 to a ratchetwheel 48 which operates a gear-wheel 50 mounted on a shaft 59 on the frame. Also fixed to the shaft 59 are further gear-wheels 51-56 engaging with racks 60-66 slidably mounted on the carriage 12. The carriage is drawn to the left by a spring drum and cord. The gears 50-56 have successively larger diameters so that, according to which gear is in effective operation, the character space will be altered to give numbers of spaces differing by one in a standard line-length. Slidably mounted on the pin 58 on which the racks slide is a number of latches 70-76 provided with cam rollers 89 engaging cams 80-86, Fig. 1, on a shaft 87, and with notches 77 adapted to engage pins 78 on the racks. The shaft 87 is rotated by a knob 91, so that the cams 80-86 will permit one or other of the latches to drop and engage the corresponding rack with the carriage 12 to give a desired character space. The shaft is set by means of a pointer 99 which is shifted by a bar 94 engaging a further cam 93 on the shaft 87 and which is adapted to be adjusted to the end of a line of typed unjustified copy carried by a copy-carrier 118 on the carriage 12. The adjustment of character space can be made only in the extreme right-hand position, since the shaft 87 is locked by an indented disc 132 with which engages a tooth on a spring-urged pivoted arm 128. In any other position, a longitudinal bar on the frame 11 engages the end of the bar 128 and prevents it being raised to unlock the shaft 87, and also prevents spacing until the arm is depressed to lock the shaft. The copy-carrier comprises a rotatable roller and paper-guides. In a modification adapted for remote control, the carriage 12 of the justifier is adapted to rotate a gearwheel and shaft as it moves, and a second gear wheel on the shaft controls the movement of the typewriter carriage. Alternatively, the justifying-mechanism may be built into the typewriter in place of the normal escapement mechanism.